With the Lumsden/Bethune Lions came to Estevan Sunday to take on the Apex Bruins in South Saskatchewan Midget AA Hockey League action, both teams were a bit owly.
The Bruins had lost 6-0 the previous night to the Yorkton Terriers at Affinity Place and the Lions had their tails clipped by the Weyburn Wings 8-1 in Weyburn. Neither team had much reason to smile but the Bruins were the ones who came out on top in a 5-3 victory.
“I think it was a better start for us than the night before,” said Bruins coach Robin Ulrich. “At the end of the day, I don’t think we played a fantastic game but we got a really good effort from our goaltender. (Logan) Nagel made some fantastic saves and gave us a chance to win. It was a better effort than the night before but by no means was it one of our better games on the season.”
The Bruins got on the board in the first period on a pair of goals by league leading scorer Jaiden Gervais and Dalton Schrader.
While Lumsden/Bethune came back with a pair of their own in the second period, the Bruins never let them tie the game.
“We just need to be a little bit more composed with the puck and make some smarter decisions and some smarter plays,” said Ulrich. “But at the end of the day we found a way to win, found a way to get pucks out and found a way that, with three or four minutes left, we were able to dig in and make some good solid plays and not give them too much of anything at the end.”
The second period featured a one-player fight, as Kyler Nameth wailed away on Zach Ashworth who had poked Lions goaltender Riley Christison for a rebound. The Bruins didn’t score on the five-minute power play but were able to get and keep momentum for much of the rest of the game.
The second half effort defensively was better than the first half, although there were some tense moments for Ulrich.
“Sometimes you’ve just got to find ways,” she said. “Sometimes you make plays and sometimes you make the big saves.”
Nagel stopped 32 of 35 shots in the game. Other Bruin goals were scored by Dawson Schaff, Cale Adams and Gervais, into an empty net.
Bryson Garton took the loss in the Yorkton game.
The Bruins’ next game is Sunday in Regina against the Capitals and then Dec. 16 and 17 they are at home to the Moose Jaw Warriors and Capitals.
